by T. R. Harris
“It is unfortunate that you are so well-known, Adam Cain. There is prodigious data available about you and your race in the Formilian Library. For instance, how Humans are resistant to the lower energy levels of these weapons. Therefore, the guards have theirs set at maximum. I suggest you not entertain the idea of attacking them. It will not end well for you. Now, come along. As I said, you will find this fascinating, in several ways.”
The control room was a multi-tiered command center with dozens of screens and seating for a staff of operators. It reminded Adam of pictures he’d seen of NORAD headquarters during the Cold War. It was probably built at a time when the Gracilians believed they would soon be at war with the galaxy, guiding their deadly fleet of dark-matter ships to victory upon victory. That never happened, but the command center remained.
Now if looked absolutely bare, with only a handful of Gracilians and Garus seated at the controls. There was a bank of observation seating in the rear, and Garus directed the guards to place Adam there and keep an eye on him.
Screens lit up, including one gigantic monstrosity that dominated the forward wall. It had to be forty feet wide by thirty high. What it showed at the moment was a graphic, not an actual image. It showed a stellar system, which Adam identified as Gracilia by the placement of the various planets. He’d studied enough navigation charts going to and from the system to be sure he was right. There were labels on the various objects, but they were in Gracilian, which Adam couldn’t read. But he did recognize the native spelling for their homeworld. That was plastered everywhere around the planet.
“This is the Gracilian system,” Garus narrated, unnecessarily. “Now, I will concentrate on a particular sector.”
The image changed to show a region of space where the Nasien Asteroids orbited the star. Nearly every star system had at least one asteroid belt, a place where either destroyed planetoids or the unformed remnants of the accretion disk resided. The Gracilian system had a large one in the outer system and a smaller one closer in. Garus zoomed in on the outer cluster.
The field of view got tighter until the graphic changed to an actual image of one of the larger asteroids, something the size of Ceres in the Solar System. The Nasien belt had several Ceres-size planetoids.
A second image box appeared in the upper right-hand corner of the main screen. It showed a live image of the blazing Gracilian star.
Garus spun in his seat toward Adam.
“I find it strange that I am enjoying this moment so much with your presence. I had not planned on this to happen, but now that you are here, I gain great pleasure from explaining what I am doing. Is that odd?”
“No, it happens to me all the time.” Adam even had a name for it: The James Bond Syndrome, where the bad guy gives Bond—James Bond—an elaborate tour of his lair, basically telling him how to defeat the evil doctor when the time came. So far, Garus hadn’t revealed that part of his evil plan. Just keep talking, asshole.
Garus looked confused at Adam’s remark. “It does?”
He turned back to his controls.
“The refined quantum beam I have distilled through the Formation will now link the Gracilian star with this planetoid. If the experiment is successful, the two bodies will exchange energy. Of course, the star will transfer a trillion times more to the asteroid, while the star will experience no ill effects. The planetoid, however, …”
Garus initiated the effect, somehow able to release the trapped quantum beam into space where—as shown on the graphic representation of the link—it attached itself to the star and the asteroid spontaneously. The live image of the asteroid zoomed out, giving perspective to the event. It happened in a split second. The Ceres-size asteroid—about a quarter of the size of Earth’s moon—was suddenly shattered into a cloud of stellar dust. Adam was expecting something like this, but seeing it live was a shock.
“The two objects became an entangled pair thanks to the quantum beam,” Garus explained. “In addition, I have the ability to regulate the flow of energy through the beam, from one object to the next. What this means is I can vary the force moving between matching energy sources with the same potential energy, giving one more than the other.”
“Meaning you can blow things up?” Adam cut to the chase.
Garus swung back around to him.
“That is precisely what it means. But in this case, it means I can blow up similar objects, as well as unlike sources, such as a star and an asteroid. Or I can destroy one star or a pair of stars. And Adam Cain, because of the extent of the quantum universe, I can direct my beams at any location in the galaxy from this single room. All I need is the correct beam refinement to cover the distance. Do you understand?”
“Yeah, that’s basic high school physics where I come from.”
Garus smirked. “That I very much doubt. I have not been in your time for long, but I do understand the technological level of the galaxy. You have no concept of what I can do, except to say I can blow up things. But that is not the main question you have for me, is it, Adam Cain?”
Is this a test? Adam asked himself. What is the main question? Damn, what if I get it wrong? Then he shrugged. The only thing that came to mind was, “Why?”
“That is exactly right! Why am I doing this? Why would I want to destroy any object I want in the galaxy, from an insignificant lump of rock to the largest star? I will tell you. It is to erase all Aris-inspired life from the galaxy.”
Adam recoiled. “Okay, that’s pretty ambitious. And it begs a follow-up question: Why, again?”
Garus walked over to Adam. “The answer to that question will come later, after I have had time to reset the Formation for the final test, requiring the placement of more disks within the stack. This one will involve greater distances and require more filtration. I must leave you now so I can attend to my duties. We will meet again when I am ready. It will be then that I reveal to you the secret you did not even know I harbored. Guards, place the Human in a secure room. Provide him liquids and nourishment and a place to rest. And I suppose he will have to relieve his excess waste. But beware. There are countless stories of him escaping from captivity. Make sure this is not one of those stories, or you will have to answer to me.”
The guards were serious and professional, ex-military Gracilians. They weren’t intimidated by the threat. They had no intention of letting him escape. And with an inoperable ATD, that would probably be the case. Adam was deep in the bowels of the base, with no way to communicate with the outside world, surrounded by hundreds of dedicated soldiers and with no idea if Sherri was even alive to call for help. And to top that, Garus just said he needed to use more disks for the next phase of his experiment. Maybe then he would discover the missing disk, possibly foiling his plans. What would he do in anger at that point?
Have you had one of those days where it felt like the whole world was crashing in around your shoulders? Today was such a day for Adam Cain.
CHAPTER 12
THE GRACILIAN GUARDS didn’t bother testing his blood for safety before bringing him a plate of cooked meat and soggy greens. Adam doubted if the meat came from Gracilia; livestock was rare, and certainly not to be served to prisoners as possibly their last meal. The liquid he was given was water, just plain old H2O, hopefully sufficiently filtered to remove any trace of lingering radioactivity.
He was in a barracks room, leftover from when the base had a much larger population. The cabin was designed for a single person and probably reserved for a mid-level officer. There was a dusty cot, which Adam had to beat into submission to remove enough dirt for him to lay on. Then he had a coughing fit from the lingering dust cloud in the room. The ventilation was poor, and the room was cool.
There were no windows, a basic grooming station and a single metal door. There was no lock since the room hadn’t been designed to be a jail cell. But with four hulking guards outside, each armed with Xan-fi weapons set on level-1, Adam knew he would be here for the duration. Even if he got past the four Gracilians
in the passageway, he had no idea where he was by now. Swarms of more guards would come looking for him. And the final factor in his decision to stay put was that Garus didn’t need him for anything. All he was doing was showing off, experiencing an emotional high he’d never felt before. Adam would ride that train for as far as it took him. It fed him information and gave the calvary more time to get here—if they were even coming.
He lay down on the still dusty cot and thought about what he knew so far.
Garus had a weapon that could strike anywhere in the galaxy and destroy whole stars. He hadn’t said anything about trying to resurrect the Luz race; as a matter of fact, he had effectively done away with the only other Luz alive except for him. Obviously, Garus wasn’t too concern about having more of his kind around. And other than trading the mutants for the Formation, he hadn’t made any demands for power, not so far. Perhaps once he conducted this additional test, he would let the galaxy know what a badass he was and start making demands.
Adam thought back to Kracion. The Mad Aris began as a mortal, but became an even greater threat once he became immortal. He wanted to be the god of the galaxy, to rule everyone and everything forever. Was that Garus’s goal, as well? If so, then was this something systemic in being immortal—seeing yourself as a god? But Adam knew other immortals—and except for the original J’nae—Panur and Lila weren’t like that. Maybe it came from their upbringing. Spare the rod and spoil the immortal, as Adam’s grandmother used to say. She didn’t actually say that, but that was what came to his mind at the moment. But what if Garus’s goal was something other than galactic domination? He promised it to the Gracilians, but he also told Adam how gullible the natives were. Was it something else?
Adam closed his eyes. He’d been trained—seems like a century ago—that sleep was a weapon. Not being immortal himself, he needed rest to stay alert and sharp. At the moment, all he had were his wits, along with a semi-malleable immortal. Adam would play to Garus’s ego, keeping him interested in having Adam along for the ride, someone to show off for. If he did, then Adam’s opportunity may present itself. But how, when? He had no idea.
But first, he needed sleep. Sleep would keep him strong.
Adam had no idea how long he slept, but sleep he did. But then the guards rushed into his room and dragged him out by his arms, taking him to the Formation room.
The moment he entered, he had a pretty good idea what all the hassle was about.
The Formation was now easily four times as long as before, with a multitude of holders for more disks. The first time, only six had been used. This time, a lot more, and probably enough for Garus to realize one was missing. The alien glared at him as he entered.
“Where is it, Adam Cain? I know you took it.”
“Took what?”
“The disk, the missing disk.”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about. I’ve been under guard since I got here.”
“You took it before turning over the Formation to me on CD-126868. You were being clever, figuring you could disrupt my plans by retaining one of the disks from the total.”
Adam grinned. “I take it I was right?”
Garus walked to a mid-point in the stack and pointed at an empty disk holder. “You took a transition disk, one that would tie several others together.”
“I don’t know what any of that means.”
“It means I will have to adjust my plans, if only slightly. I see on your face you are disappointed. You should be. You had hoped to make the Formation dysfunctional, but that is not the case.”
Garus walked from around the device to stand in front of Adam. “You have asked the question why I am doing what I am doing? I will now tell you. It will put into perspective all the things to come. First, you believe the term Masters to mean leaders. You are wrong. I—and my colleagues—were created to be masters for what type of life was to be created next, a new race of beings that would populate the Second Epoch. We were programmed into the Formation by the creators, the Allanni. It was the end of the First Epoch, and life was coming to an end. The Allanni built the Formation as a way of seeding the new Epoch with beings like themselves. Therefore, Adam Cain, I am an Allanni, not a Luz.
“But then something unforeseen happened—a war perhaps, or a natural catastrophe. The plan did not develop properly, and when the Masters were created, it was toward the end of the Second Epoch, not the beginning. We had been imbued with a form of genetic memory, which provided us with context as to our role. The realization as to what had happened was devastating to us. We were to be used as the genetic material that would spawn the new Allanni and all the related species to come. Now, imagine our disappointment when we discovered that the Aris were the dominant lifeform at the end of the Epoch and that billions of years had gone by with no input from the Allanni. Then to add to this insult, the Formation was found and utilized not by the Aris, but by their genetic castoffs, the Luz.”
When Garus turned away to walk across the room, Adam almost grabbed him by the arm to beg him to continue. He was intrigued by the story, with many of the voids being filled. Fortunately, Garus wasn’t done with his narration.
“Knowing who and what we were, the Masters began to work with the Luz to salvage what we could of our lost destiny. We had the Formation and the genetic material necessary to resurrect the Allanni race, but not in the Second Epoch, but the Third. That was what we were working on when the Aris learned of the Formation.
“The Luz were the Aris’ failed attempts at creating immortal versions of themselves, and then they discovered immortal creatures were living among the Luz. They wanted that for themselves. So the Aris took the Formation and the Masters and began a long and extensive effort to learn our secrets and assimilate our uniqueness. But that could never happen. Our genetic makeup is different from the Aris. In addition, we were created to provide an endless supply of Allanni material to rebuild the race, not Aris. That was our purpose, not to simply live forever. We regenerated to provide a constant supply of raw material.”
Garus removed a disk from its holder and held it up to the light.
“Within this wafer is the essence of my people. They live on in these eighty disks.” He glanced over at Adam. “In all eighty of them. But Nunki took our creation and used it for his own bastard purposes. The Third Epoch is an example of his wild aspirations. He used the Formation to seed the galaxy with far more life than should be here and of a genetic construction foreign to the Allanni. He infected the galaxy with a disease.”
He looked at Adam, his eyes burning with passion.
“You ask why I am doing what I am doing? I have a method of destroying this disease, of ridding the galaxy of Nunki’s infestation. I will destroy thousands of stars, perhaps millions, wiping out the innumerable children of the Aris without pause or remorse. I do this because I still exist, as does the Formation. With that combination, I will have time before the end of this Epoch to fulfill my mission, to populate the galaxy with the children of the Allanni.”
He placed a hand on the skeletal framework of the Formation.
“The next test of my quantum weapon was intended to remove from the galaxy a symbol of Nunki’s arrogance, his stealing of the Allanni dream to be replaced with his. I was to link a nearby star with one many light-years away. It would be a demonstration of the range of the weapon, as well as a means of studying the storage properties of the quantum beam itself. Adam Cain, the star I am targeting is Formil.”
Adam staggered. Formil, the star from which the planet Formil got its name. The home of Arieel Bol and the birthplace of his daughter, Lila.
“Yes, I will destroy the star of which the homeworld of Nunki’s Apex Being orbits. She was his greatest achievement and his greatest failure. After all that time and effort, he failed to turn the Aris immortal. Now I will make an example of him and his ambitions.”
Adam was gasping for breath. Could Garus really do this? And could he do it within the next few minutes? Then anger sw
elled up. Garus noticed the emotion and waved a hand at the guards.
“Be cautious,” he said. “The anger within the Human is cascading.”
“You’re not as smart as you think you are, Garus!” Adam yelled. He had nothing to lose. All he could hope to do was dash the illusions of the immortal. “I have news for you—Nunki didn’t fail. He became immortal, as did the remainder of the Privileged.”
“You lie. The Apex Being survives.”
“That’s because he found another way, another source for his immortality. Lila survives because he didn’t need her.”
Garus studied Adam for a moment, searching for a clue if he was telling the truth. “Even so, what you say will not save the planet Formil from destruction.”
“It’s true. And you know it is. Why else would you not find any Aris here today? They would still be working on their Grand Experiment, never giving up. Hell, even an insignificant Technician named Kracion became immortal. That’s why Gracilia is the way it is today, as are all the Dead Worlds. They were killed by the Mad Aris Kracion after he became immortal. You should have read about that in the Library. You obviously missed that entry.”
“If so, then where are they, where is Nunki? Immortal implies he lives forever. Why are there no Aris in the galaxy today?”
“Because they moved to another dimension, to pursue everlasting learning and knowledge.” Adam didn’t feel it necessary to tell him that all the Aris now were dead, all except Kracion.
“It was the creature Panur! That is how they did it. He is immortal; they learned the secret from him.”
“I’m not going to tell you. There is so little you know about the galaxy of today that I’ll leave that up to you to find out. So you see, you’re too late. Nunki and the Aris fulfilled their dreams. Destroying the life they created in the galaxy won’t bring back the Allanni or undo anything the Aris have done. All it would do is demonstrate the depth of your insanity.”